Project:

Searching for Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Playgrounds.

Students:

Charlie Gorrivan, Yunari Yamazaki, Elizabeth Strickland

School:

Friends Seminary, Manhattan

Mentors:

Hassan Wilson

Abstract:

An antibiotic is a medicine that inhibits the growth of bacteria. We rely on antibiotics to treat non-serious infections such as common acne, or much more serious infections such as pneumonia and conditions like sepsis. As such, antibiotics are essential in fighting bacterial infections. However, as has been discovered in recent years, some bacteria have evolved to become resistant to various antibiotics. This project aims to swab and barcode bacteria living on surfaces at Central Park’s Billy Johnson Playground on East 67th street and discover the most prevalent bacteria in each sample, and then determine if antibiotic-resistant bacteria is present.

Poster:

Team samples: